ecmo
nounUK /ˈekməʊ/
US /ˈekmoʊ/
A machine that does the work of a person's heart and lungs when they are too sick to do it themselves.
The baby was placed on ECMO while her lungs healed.
RELATED WORDS
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A treatment that adds oxygen to the blood outside the body and removes carbon dioxide.
Doctors used ECMO to keep his blood oxygenated during surgery.
3. Short for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, a form of intensive care for severe heart or lung failure.
The hospital's ECMO team was called in for the critically ill patient.
4. A temporary support system used until a patient's own organs recover or a transplant is available.
She stayed on ECMO for two weeks before receiving a lung transplant.